Always With You
by Dalia907
Summary: Expansion of the one-shot Always Charmed. Bella and Jasper quickly become inseparable after a chance pairing in a secret Santa exchange at six years old. Life, love and a failing heart aren’t enough to keep them apart. AH, OOC.
1. Prologue

**AN: Hello to all the newcomers and original Always Charmed one-shot fans! Thanks for giving this new expansion a shot.**

**I've posted the prologue as well as the first two charms/chapters all at once because I love my readers just that much…well, that and the first two posts are pretty much a repeat from the one-shot and I wanted to give you something new. So see, I do love you! **

**For those of you who are reading my other fic, Notion, have no fear, I will be finishing that one up very soon (I think between 3-6 more chapters left).**

**Thank you's go out to kitty_cullen for beta-ing and encouragement, and to freakyhazeleyes for being generous with her help.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of it's characters, I just arrange them for my own ammusement. **

* * *

**Prologue**

* * *

_May 23, 2009, 11:54pm_

I couldn't breathe. The air just wouldn't stay in my lungs. In fact, my whole body instantly felt as if it was in the midst of a mutiny - my knees buckled, my head throbbed, my throat constricted, and the acid in my stomach churned and threatened to burn it's way right through the closed passage in my gullet. I was shaking so uncontrollably that the tiny charms on my bracelet were clanging together. That noise was the only one I heard above all the cries, above the incessant woman in front of me asking if I was okay, above the cell phone that was furiously vibrating next to me on the floor. All the commotion around me ceased, except for the violent tinkling sound of the bracelet vacillating on my wrist.

My watery eyes were fixed upon those shivering charms. Each one was a memory, a story that was shared only between the best of friends. Some were glorious. Some were painful. All of them were strictly reserved for us…only us…

But now there was no more us. There was only me.

_Only me. Alone._

_No, no, no, no…_

I closed my eyes, the first of countless tears plummeting from the corners and crashing to the ground furiously. As they escaped my body, I felt _his_ presence leaving along with them. My fists feverishly flew to my eyes trying to stop the tears, to stop him from abandoning me, from abandoning my very soul.

But I was too late. There was nothing I could do to stop them from pouring out of me, from _him_ pouring out of me.

I was nothing.

I was empty.

My life was gone.

**AN: Please leave me love and review!!**


	2. Secret Santa of the South

**AN: Hi guys! This chapter will also be nearly the same as the original one-shot AC, but is vital for the whole story. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

_December 14, 1997_

Charm # 1 - "Secret Santa"

At the tender age of six, I sat alone - insignificant and shy - in the back of the small first grade classroom as the teacher shuffled through papers and books at her large wooden desk. It was just before Christmas, and today the class would be pulling names from a hat for a secret Santa gift exchange.

Except I wouldn't be part of that exchange.

Because before class that day, the teacher - who also happened to be my flaky free-spirit of a mother, Renee - decided to sit me down to have a heart to heart talk.

"Bella, honey," she'd said, "there are an uneven number of students in the class, so it would be really unfair for you, as my daughter, to pick a name from the hat. So you can just exchange gifts with me instead, okay sweetie?"

I nodded, trying to hide how painful the situation she was putting me in was going to be. I was already introverted at school and didn't have any friends. Being the teacher's daughter didn't help. Neither did being the daughter of the only cop in town. Now, not participating in the gift exchange would single me out even further amongst my classmates as the weird girl in the back of the room. Mine was a doomed existence from the beginning.

Renee walked around the classroom, holding out the hat for each student to draw a folded slip of paper. On it was a classmate's name written in the standard issue number two pencil. The room was a buzz of whispering and snickering, everyone excited about their shopping task. Everyone except me as my own mother passed over me with only a light pat on my shoulder for comfort.

After all the Secret Santa excitement, Renee began our math lesson for the day. I was engrossed in completing the subtraction problems in my workbook when a loud knock on the door interrupted my thought process.

I glanced up through my long curtain of hair to find Mrs. Cope, the portly, kind-hearted secretary ushering a scrawny wide-eyed boy into the room. His blond hair was somewhat long, curly and hung down in his face in a way that nearly hid away the brilliant blue of his eyes. He was scanning the room nervously, clutching his Thundercats book bag and Superman lunch box in a tight-fisted grip.

"Ms. Swan, it seems we have a new student for your class that just came in today. This is Jasper Whitlock. Just moved here with his family from Houston," Mrs. Cope drabbled, clearly embarrassing the boy by keeping him the center of attention.

Renee smiled warmly. "Welcome to my first grade class, Jasper. Why don't you go take a seat back there by Bella? She can show you around and you can share her books for today until I can have some more brought up from storage. Okay?"

The small boy nodded sheepishly and stumbled down the row of desks, plopping firmly in the one right next to me. I chanced a look over at him to find him returning the same exact gaze. I nodded my head and pushed my book over to the side of my desk closest to him, signaling that it was okay for him to come closer and share. He blinked once then silently moved his desk up against mine.

"Hi," I whispered.

"Hello," he drawled, his southern accent making me smile. I'd never heard anyone talk like that before.

"Your voice sounds funny," I blurted before I could stop myself. He blushed furiously and looked down at his empty desk. "But I like it," I finished, my red cheeks then matching his when he smiled back at me.

A few moments later, Renee came waltzing back to us, a satisfied grin on her face. "Jasper, your arrival couldn't have had better timing. Bella here was going to have to exchange a gift with me for our little Christmas Secret Santa party, but it'll work out so much better if the two of you could just exchange gifts. Do you think that would be okay, dear?"

"Yes, ma'am," he nodded, his golden curls bouncing back and forth.

As embarrassed as I was, I couldn't help but smile at hearing his funny accent again. It was different. He was different. Like me. I hoped we could be different together.

* * *

A week later, our last day of school before Christmas vacation, the great first grade party and gift exchange was underway. Jasper and I sat at our desks eating popcorn, drinking juice and smiling at the gift that the other held their hand.

I thrust mine out at Jasper wordlessly and he did the same. We both quickly tore at the wrapping paper to get to the good stuff underneath.

I looked over to watch Jasper open the box to his gift first. When he removed the white cardboard lid, his jaw dropped. Then he absolutely beamed.

I'd had Renee help me pick out his gift. I noticed that he liked super hero characters from his book bag and lunch box, so I thought that comic books - one Thundercats and one Superman - would be a good gift. Apparently I'd hit the nail on the head.

"Thanks, Bella! This is awesome," he laughed.

"Your welcome, Merry Christmas," I smiled, suddenly very relieved that I went with those instead of the school supplies Renee had originally suggested.

"Merry Christmas to you, too. Aren't you going to open your present?" he asked, his knee bouncing in excitement under his desk.

I looked down at the little red box perched in front of me. I opened the lid and this time it was my mouth that was gaping open.

Inside was a thin silver bracelet with one tiny charm - a Texas Ranger star.

"My Mom said that girls like jewelry. In addition, I wanted something that you would remember was from me. Do you like it?" he asked apprehensively, his knee still bouncing wildly.

I was more of a tomboy than most girls and didn't really like jewelry all that much, but there was something about that tiny silver bracelet that made me want to wear it immediately, and every day thereafter.

"I really like it, Jasper, thank you. Will you help me put it on?"

He nodded as his bony little fingers took it out of the box and fumbled with it around my wrist until, finally, he was able to get the clasp to hold. I grinned as I held it up in front of my face, watching the miniature star twinkle in the florescent lights. It really was pretty, and no one had ever given me real jewelry before. I was suddenly glad that Jasper had been the first one to do it.

I watched him excitedly flip through his comic books as I absently played with the trinket on my arm. Even my little six-year-old mind could grasp that Jasper and I would be close from then on. In reality, we became inseparable - practically one entity - from that day forward. Fate had brought him to me that year and I would be forever grateful.

* * *

**AN: Reviews = Love. **


	3. Lucky Seven

**AN: Fresh charms here! Come 'n get your fresh charms!**

**Hehe…this chapter is brand spankin' new (as in, it wasn't included in AC). Let me just remind you that anything in _italics_ is a thought or a flashback. **

**Thanks once again to kitty_cullen for all her help. Be sure to check out one of her latest fics, "The Bella Swan Guide To Getting Your Life Back" – fabulous power Bella going on!**

* * *

_September 13, 1998_

Charm #2: Lucky Seven

The next year was one of the happiest in my life, and it was all because of Jasper. Both Charlie and Renee were delighted that I was finally coming out of the little shell I had existed in up until then. I think at one point they were seriously considering whether I was socially retarded or needed some kind of therapy. Turns out all I really needed was a friend.

Jasper and I did nearly everything together. We insisted on sitting next to each other during the remainder of that first grade year in Renee's class, always being partnered on craft projects and the like. We ate lunch together. When one of us got sick, the other inevitably would as well - having chicken pox and being covered in pink Calamine lotion together was fun…and itchy…

* * *

_I couldn't contain my laughter as the two of us sat there in our pajamas, little pink dots covering each chicken pock mark on our bodies. _

_"Jasper," I giggled, "you look like some kind of mutated dinosaur from Barney!"_

_"Well you don't look any better, Bella! It looks like some fairy sneezed her pink snot all over your face," he retorted._

_"Ew, Jazz, that's yucky! I don't want fairy snot on me," I exclaimed as I started to rub at the dried Calamine on my hand._

_Jasper laughed. "Gees, I was just kidding!"_

_"Yeah, but it's still gross. Ugh, how long are we going to be like this?"_

_"Your mom said for at least a week," he said as he dragged his fingernails across his arm._

_"Stop scratching! Mom said we shouldn't scratch at them."_

_"But they're _itchy_," he whined and continued scratching._

_I sighed, abandoned reason and scratched my face. "I don't like being itchy either."_

_"At least we can be itchy together," he offered._

_"Yeah, at least we're itchy together."_

* * *

Ordinarily Jasper would ride home from school with my mother and I and predictably stay for dinner, which was always interesting considering Renee's fleeting fancies. Most times we ate macaroni and cheese and hot dogs in place of the burned debacle my mother attempted to prepare. That was fine by us - you can never go wrong with mac 'n cheese for first graders.

The two of us would play together until Jasper's parents would pick him up on their way home from work. Renee never minded - she was simply happy to see me happy - and Charlie treated him like a son. He was welcomed from all sides into our small, middle class home.

Jasper's parents both had pretty demanding jobs. His dad, Peter, worked in Seattle most of the week for some big finance company and only came back to Forks on the weekends. Charlotte, his mother, opened an already wildly successful Italian restaurant in Port Angeles. Both of his parents despised the thought of their children - Jasper and his older sister, Rosalie - growing up in a city and missing out on the small town upbringing that they themselves were fortunate enough to have in their youth in Texas. So, when they were forced to relocate due to Peter's promotion, they decided Forks was the best choice.

Rosalie was a force unto herself. Beauty and grace simply radiated from her, just like her mother. She was older than Jasper by ten years, making her the hot new item in the senior class at Forks high. I knew when Jasper didn't come to my house after school that he would have to stay with Rosalie. I also knew that neither brother nor sister particularly liked this arrangement. She had much better things to do with her newfound popularity than stay at home with her kid brother, and he didn't want to spend his time watching her make out on the couch with her latest boyfriend. Despite their differences - age and otherwise - Rosalie was fiercely protective of her little brother and Jasper secretly appreciated it. It was an unspoken sibling love, but it was unmistakably there.

Weekends, though, found Mr. and Mrs. Whitlock at home long enough to dote on their only son and by proxy me, because like I said, Jasper and I were inseparable. Sometimes the two of us would just get lost in the huge expanse of their brand new home - all three stories and fifteen acres of it. The Whitlock's spared no expense on their abode, having the best and biggest of everything their hefty budget would allow. Jasper and I took advantage of the endless video games and toys at our disposal. Other times his parents would take us on day trips to the mall or the zoo, and we inevitably came home with armfuls of new merchandise.

The uncanny differences between our two families invariably balanced each other out. We made out like bandits in every aspect of life.

There was only one thing that Jasper and I did not do together that year. Because of my incurable klutzy nature, Renee got the bright idea to enroll me in dance class…as a birthday present. I was less than thrilled. The new _Land Before Time_ Disney movie that Charlie presented me with this morning was more my kind of present. Jasper and I could enjoy that one together. This whole dance thing was one of Renee's fleeting "inspirations" that she tended to get from time to time. Most of them didn't work out as she planned, and I feared that this was no different.

"Ballet will help you be more graceful, honey. That and you look so adorable," she cooed when I asked why I was being forced to wear pink tights.

"But mom," I pouted, "I'm going to suck! I'll fall down and all the other girls will laugh at me."

"No one will laugh at you sweetie."

Just then, Jasper came bursting through the door, but skidded to a stop once he saw me…decked out in head toe pink…and then snorted. His hand flew to his mouth in an attempt to stifle the giggles, but the more he tried to stay quiet, the worse his attempt failed. Eventually he ended up rolling on the floor with loud booms of laughter escaping him.

"Bella…tights…pink…so funny…" he managed between fits of giggles.

Even Renee had to keep her hand over her face to keep her laughter quelled.

I put my hand on my cocked hip, pressed my lips into a tight, thin line and scowled at my friend rolling on the floor.

"Just you wait, Jasper Whitlock! It won't be so funny when they tell me to dance and I trip and break my neck! Then who will you play with?!" Traitorous tears of anger began to well in my eyes.

His giggles halted when he noticed my watery eyes and he picked himself up off the floor.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I just know how much you hate that color and I couldn't help myself. But here," he said as he thrust his skinny, freckled arm out toward me. "Happy birthday."

I angrily grabbed the little red box from him and tore off the lid. Inside was a tiny silver charm in the shape of the number seven. My brow knitted together and I looked up at him confused.

"The number seven is supposed to be lucky. I thought you could use a good luck charm so that you don't fall down when you're in dance class today," he shrugged as if his logic was undeniable. He was so confident about it that my frustration dissipated and I believed him instantly.

"Hmm. Okay. Thank you, Jasper. Could you put it on my bracelet for me?"

Jasper nodded and grasped the little charm from the cotton wadding inside the box. He held my hand - the one with the bracelet that I still wore constantly - and tried to attach the new charm right next to the Texas ranger star. His face scrunched and his tongue jutted out in concentration as his gangly fingers fumbled with the minute clasp. When it was finally in place, he stepped back and smiled in triumph.

"There," he said with a satisfied nod. "Now you have a lucky charm to help you through everything."

I nodded and returned his smile before turning to Renee. She was looking back and forth between the two of us with a proud expression on her face.

"Ready now, sweetie?" she asked me.

"Yeah. But can Jasper go with us and stay with you so that we can play right after dance class?"

"Sure, honey. Okay kids, let's hop to it!"

When dance class ended, I scurried from the doors and into the back seat of my mother's SUV where Jasper was waiting and inhaling a red slushy. After I was buckled in, he grabbed a second cup - this one tinted blue from the syrupy flavoring - and passed it to me.

"Miss Renee got us slushies," he smiled, still half chewing the bright red straw. "So…how did it go?"

I took a long pull of the icy blueness - after all, no one in history ever knew exactly what flavor blue slush really was - before I answered.

"It was great! I didn't fall or trip even one time and the teacher, Miss Charlene, told me I was graceful! Me, klutzy Bella! Can you believe it?"

Jasper's smile matched my own as he grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze. He was never worried about cooties or anything, and that was nice.

"That's awesome, Bella! See, I told you the number seven was lucky."

"You were right, Jazz," I told him, even though I thought it was sort of a lie. I didn't want to say that I thought my luck came from knowing he'd been the one to give me the charm, or that the idea of him waiting for me after the class made me happy. I simply smiled, slurping the cool blue deliciousness in my right hand and reveling in the warmth of the boy clasped in my left.

* * *

**AN: Reviews = LOVE ****Let me know what you think…I crave validation.**


	4. We All Fall Down

**AN: If you have this fic on alert and were confused as to why there was a second alert emailed to you, it was because of a mistake that was caught after posting the first time (thank you imwithemmett!). It was a small mistake, but crucial to the plot in the long run, so I appologize to those of you who read it and were confused. **

**Just want to thank those of you who have been reading and reviewing...reviews are like my crack and they keep me going strong, so please leave me some lovin'! **

**Thanks once again to kitty_cullen for her awesome beta skills and for letting me bounce some ideas around. *hugs***

* * *

_August 25, 1999_

Charm #3: We All Fall Down

It was a hot, muggy, misty summer day in Forks. The sun was threatening to break through the early morning haze and that made the rest of my youth soccer league team buzz with excitement. Every nine year old on the field fidgeted and swayed, covering their spikes with the morning dew.

Everyone on the team was filled with nervous tension; today was the league championship game against our rivals, the Port Angeles Pumas. As members of the Forks Fire, we were confident that we could pounce the Pumas.

Since Forks was so small, the league allowed us to include the kids from La Push on our team. That meant the addition of Leah, Quil, Embry and Jacob. Since Charlie's best friend was Billy Black – Jacob's dad, La Push resident and coveted fishing partner – I fell in the role of go-between for the team at first. After a few practices, though, our Quileute teammates settled right in.

Jasper loved soccer. His room was plastered with posters of the L.A. Galaxy, David Beckham, and the U.S. Olympic teams. He even made me put up a Mia Hamm poster in my room. Not that I minded; she was pretty cool.

As I took my position at midfield, I stole a second to look at the rest of the starting line-up around me. Jasper was in front of me along with the other forwards – Quil, Embry and Jessica. Behind me on defense were Leah, Eric and Angela. Jacob rounded out the pack at goalie.

My eyes trailed back to Jasper who was crouched in an attack position and waiting for the referee's whistle. His dirty blond locks were hanging down in his face and blowing softly in the breeze. I'd told him he needed to get it cut, but he refused, saying it would be bad luck to do it mid season. I remember laughing and flinging my pink ponytail holder at him, calling him a girl. I guess it could have been worse – he could be refusing to wash his lucky socks.

Ew. Smelly Jasper feet were nothing to mess with.

"Let's go Forks!" a loud voice boomed from the sidelines. It could only have been Emmett. There was no mistaking his boisterous calls and large form, even for a nine year old. Normally he was all about sports, constantly trying to get Jasper and I into a pickup game of, well, anything. But Emmett wasn't one for finesse or fancy footwork; he was a more straight forward, full contact kind of guy. Namely football. There was nothing he was more exited for than the day he would turn ten since then he could move from flag football to the tackle team.

Emmett was one of the few people that Jasper and I let into our little world fully. He always cheered us on at our soccer games, and we never missed any of his sporting events.

I smiled at Emmett and gave him a little wave before assuming my game face.

From beginning to end, the game was intense. Every one of us was panting and covered in grass stains. By the last full minute of the game, we were tied with the Pumas at four to four.

The ball had just been kicked out by Port Angeles, so I went out for the throw-in. Nearly everyone on offense was being covered and I couldn't find Jasper anywhere. I knew the seconds were ticking down on the clock, so I did what any nine year old would do – I closed my eyes, said a prayer and tossed the ball into the middle of the pack near the Puma goal.

One of the Port Angeles players came up with the ball.

"No! Get him," I screamed. The sentiment was echoed around me from the Forks team. I was running as fast as my little feet could carry me across the field, attempting to tackle the Puma with the ball. Out of nowhere came a streak of blond – Jasper made a sliding tackle sending the ball hard toward the goal, only to have it hit the crossbars and rebound. But Jasper wouldn't be kept down. He bounced back up and was just in time to cut off the Puma's clearing attempt with a header in my direction. I lined up the ball and let it rip…

"Goal!" The crowd of parents roared and the whistle sounded, signaling the end of the game.

"Bella, that was awesome," Jacob yelled as he enveloped me in a hug.

"Way to go, Bella," Quil and Embry said in unison.

"Woo hoo! We won!" Mike and Tyler high fived.

The whole team was jumping and yelling in celebration. Except for one.

I frantically searched for Jasper among the black and white jerseys. Then I scanned the bleachers – not there either. But neither were his parents, Charlotte and Peter, and I was certain that they had been there before.

"Wait! Wait," I shouted as I tried to rush through the mass of Forks players. "Move! Let me through!"

I shoved against the mass of bodies until it finally relented and I tumbled to the grass.

I gasped.

There, lying near the opponent's goal was Jasper, cradled in Peter's arms. Charlotte was hovering over them speaking frantically into her cell phone.

"Jasper!" My muscles lurched and I scrambled to my feet, running toward my best friend. "Peter? Peter, what's wrong with him?"

"Bella, stay there. An ambulance is coming for him. You need to stay back," he replied in a shaky voice. It alarmed me even more – he was always so calm and sure; but not now, not with his son laying limp in his arms.

Jasper's face was pale white. The only movement coming from him was the tiny fluttering of his eyelids and the hard heaving of his chest as he struggled for air. I didn't care what Peter said, Jasper needed me, I could tell. I jumped forward and grabbed his hand in both of mine and squeezed. I felt his hand twitch in response.

Then I felt a hand on my shoulder, drawing me back.

"Bells, the ambulance is here. We need to move back so the EMT's can help Jasper," Charlie commanded in his official policeman's voice. I hadn't even realized he was there until I heard him speak.

"But dad," I pleaded looking up into his tight brown eyes. He cut me off.

"No Bella. We need to stay out of the way." As if to punctuate his statement, he pulled me away and to my feet as the EMT's pushed their way through with a backboard.

Charlie sighed. "Alright, we'll go home and call your mother first – she should still be at the Clearwater's – and then we'll go to the hospital to see Jasper."

I watched Jasper being moved to the backboard. I didn't want to leave my best friend even for a second, but I knew there would be no arguing with my dad.

I nodded and hugged him, but refused to move until Jasper had been loaded into the ambulance.

I though the half an hour in the cruiser between my house and the hospital was the longest in my life.

I was wrong.

The two hours I spend in the hospital waiting room, not able to see Jasper, was the longest in my life. I flipped through the children's books and magazines. I bugged Charlie to no end until he was about to snap - I could tell from the little vein sprouting on his forehead.

My saving grace came from Peter finally walking into the room.

"How is he? Where is he? Can I see him? What's wrong with him," I sputtered.

"Calm down, Bella," Peter spoke softly. "Jasper is…okay. He's awake now."

"But, Peter, what _happened_ to him?"

"He sighed and wiped his brow. "Well honey, Jasper is having a problem with his heart. That's what made him so weak today. He's going to have to make some changes and take medicine, but he'll be alright and can come home in a few days after the doctors figure out exactly what's wrong."

"Okay," I replied meekly. I was worried about my friend. "Can I see him now?"

"Sure kiddo. I'll take you to his room."

Charlie and I followed Peter down the long white hallway. Jasper's door was the last one on the left. I paused outside and looked back for reassurance. Both men nodded, but stayed in the hallway I assumed to do the quiet grown up talking parents thought kids didn't understand.

I pushed at the heavy door and peeked my head around the corner. "Jazz?"

Lying limply on the crisp white bed was Jasper. He still looked pale and tired, but his blue eyes were open and I could tell he was happy to see me.

"Bella…did you make that goal?" he asked first.

I smiled and made my way into the room, sitting down in the chair by his bed.

"Yeah Jazz, I made it, and we won."

"Awesome! I knew you'd do it," he giggled, and I couldn't help but laugh with him.

"I couldn't have done it without you – you're the one that sacrificed your body and took the header."

He smirked and poked at the IV in his hand. I darted my eyes away from it – needles and blood made me sick. I wondered how Jasper could stand it and if it hurt; it sure looked like it did. There were wires connected to his chest and one on his finger. A clear plastic tube was wound around his ears, flowing to his nose.

"You look like some kind of science experiment. Jazz, what happened to you?"

He pursed his lips and flitted his eyes around the room. "I…I don't know really. I mean, I've been feeling kinda tired for a while, but it wasn't anything new. One the field today, I just couldn't breathe right."

"Why didn't you tell anyone, you dork?!" I wanted to smack him, but with all the wires I didn't know where was safe.

"I dunno. Guess I didn't want to come out the game. It was the championship – the _championship, _Bella – you don't just sit out when the game is on the line."

I rolled my eyes and smacked my forehead. Boys and their sports logic…I don't think girls were ever meant to understand.

"I remember my chest hurting, but I knew you had the throw-in, so I didn't want to quit. But I kinda blacked out after the header," Jasper explained sheepishly.

"So what did the doctors say happened," I wondered.

"Dad talked to them. He said my heart isn't so good, and I have to stay here for a while."

Both of us frowned and cast our eyes down.

"But hey, I got you something that'll cheer you right up. See my mom's purse over there?" He pointed to the chair across the stark room. "There's a present for you in there."

I started walking over to the purse, glancing warily between it and Jasper. When I got there, I noticed a familiar little red box sitting right on top. All my shyness and manners forgotten, I greedily dove for it, flinging the lid to the ground.

My brand new charm was a little silver soccer ball. The smile I was sporting nearly cracked my face.

"I got it to remember our winning the league championship," Jasper explained.

"But you didn't know we were going to win."

"Sure I did. You and me are invincible."

I chewed on my bottom lip. "Jazz, we're not superheroes." His pale body lying in the hospital bed was a testament to that.

"Sure we are, Bella. As long as you and I are together, we can do anything." His optimism was infections and my worries ebbed, at least for a little while.

"Can you help me put it on my bracelet?"

"Sure thing, Bells. Come here."

With his sci-fi laden hands, he attached the charm next to the others. When he was finished, he kept my hand in his.

"I'm going to be fine, Bella. You'll see."

"Promise?"

"Promise."


	5. Beautiful Swan

**AN: Yeah, so I'm taking some liberties in this chapter with swans and river outlets in La Push and stuff like that. It's fiction, just go with me.**

**I'm now on Twitter! Come follow me, Dalia907! **

**AWY was just rec'd by the Jasper's Darlins! If you haven't read their blog, do yourself a favor and check it out. It's all empath, all the time…what more could you ask for?? **

**And thanks again to KC for letting me twitter stalk her with requests to beta my chapter. *hugs***

**Disclaimer: In case you've forgotten, I own nothing you recognize.**

* * *

_May 23, 2000_

Charm #4: Beautiful Swan

Life is good. At least that's what my dad always said on our drive to La Push every Sunday, which is when he and his lifelong friend, Billy Black, would partake in their weekly sports ritual.

Today's Mariner's game wasn't anything new or special to me. Charlie would constantly drag me to the Reservation so he and Billy could do some kind of male bonding. I didn't get it. What I did understand is that I would have to spend the duration with Jacob.

Jake was okay, as far as most boys went anyway. Having him as a soccer teammate was fun, and he was eternally happy.

He shared his Sour Patch Kids with me once, even letting me have all the red ones.

Nevertheless, I somehow always found myself at the butt end of Jacob's bright ideas and pranks. The boy never sat still and was always finding frogs or dead fish or something gross to chase me around with. He thought it was funny. I saw it as obnoxious.

But today that didn't matter, because this time I wouldn't be facing Jake alone. I had convinced Peter and Charlotte that their one and only son, and I quote, "for health reasons needs to indulge in the fresh air that First Beach has to offer." At first, they giggled. Then I don't know if it was my flawless logic and unyielding stance, or if it was Jasper's puppy dog eyes – I swear that boy could move mountains with that look – but they gave in, although not without a few conditions.

"Jasper, honey, you be sure to take it easy down there," Charlotte goaded while she fussed with his raincoat. "Not too much running, stay out of the tidal pools unless Bella and Jacob are both with you and Charlie knows where you are. Don't forget to take your medication at lunch time – I'll make sure Charlie has it with him."

"Yes, mom," Jasper whined. He hated being coddled.

"And Bella, dear, if you notice Jasper getting too tired, you take him into Billy's house to lie down immediately, is that clear?"

"Sure thing, Char. You know I'll keep my eye on him," I replied.

"I know. I'm counting on you to do just that," Charlotte added as she smiled at me.

She fussed with Jasper's coat some more before bagging up some stale bread and crackers so we could feed the ducks and swans that liked to gather near one of the river outlets at the beach. It was one of my favorite things to do, but it didn't happen much what with Jake's constant gabbing scaring away nearly every living creature within a half mile radius. He just didn't know when to shut up, especially when it was just the two of us. Somehow, though, he calmed down a bit whenever Jasper was there; I don't know if it was because of another male's presence, or if it was because of Jasper's sickness. Either way I was thankful.

The ride to La Push in the cruiser was short. Dad and Jasper managed to fill the silence with talk of baseball and the end of the school year. Before I knew it, we were pulling up next to the Black's tiny wooden house.

Jasper and I scooted out of the car and hurried down the path toward the beach. The sound of a slamming screen door and two more large feet pounding the sand let us know that Jacob wasn't far behind.

"You kids be careful," Charlie called out to us. "Come back for lunch in an hour!"

We didn't stop to acknowledge him. There were adventures to be had and no parent would get in our way.

Once the tiny house was out of site, we all slowed to a brisk walk. Jacob was swinging his gangly arms back and forth with each step. Jasper had picked up a long, thin branch that was embedded in the sand and used it as a walking stick. I just tried to keep pace with them, pulling the hood of my yellow raincoat over my head to keep the ever-present mist at bay.

Before I knew it, we had reached the mouth of the small river that flowed to First Beach. I looked toward one of the little inlets in the fresh water where we usually found the ducks and swans gathering and found it empty.

"Jasper," I whined, "where are all the ducks? I brought bread and everything!" I stamped my foot and looked at him as if he could magically fix all that was wrong with my world at that very moment.

"Chill, Bells. Let's get closer and see if they're just hiding in the grass or something," he deftly offered and I immediately calmed.

Jacob looked less than thrilled. "You guys go on ahead. I'm gonna see if I can snag a jellyfish or something a little more dangerous than a duck." With that, he spun on his heel and jogged toward the surf. It was just as well; we would need to be quiet in case our target was in fact hiding. Jacob would wipe out any chance of that within seconds.

Jasper grasped my hand and pulled me along with him through the thick brush. We scanned all the usual ducky hangouts, but still came up empty handed. I was really starting to get disappointed.

Just as we were turning around to head back to toward the beach, I spotted something small and gray moving in the tall grass to our right. I stopped suddenly, causing Jasper to jerk back suddenly since he was still holding my hand.

"Jazz," I pointed toward the grass, "what is _that_?"

I squeezed his hand tighter and he reciprocated as we inched closer.

Finally, standing only two feet away, I was able to make out the tiny figure lying in the grass. It looked like an ugly duckling, all scrawny and weak. It was just lying there, staring at us, its little body expanding rapidly with shallow breaths.

"I think it's a baby swan," he replied as he knelt down to get a better look.

"It looks sick," I said thickly, swallowing back the lump that was rapidly forming in my throat. "Where are its parents?"

"I don't know, but they're definitely not here right now, and it looks like this little guy needs some help. Maybe we should take him to Charlie. He's a cop, so he's got to have connections to some kind of veterinarian, right?"

I shrugged. "I don't know, but dad sure does know everyone in town. I think it's the only chance that baby's got."

Jasper slowly and carefully scooped up the tiny ball of down and tucked it into the front pocket of his hoodie. We tried to walk quickly and carefully, so I let go of his hand – if I fell, I didn't want to take Jasper and the baby swan down with me.

Jacob met us on the beach and decided to join in our mission after we let him have a peek at the miniature creature. It was now operation _save swan_.

We made it back to the house, the four of us in one piece. Jasper strode up to Charlie and carefully removed the passenger from his hoodie pocket.

"We found him alone in the grass, sir. We think he's sick and we didn't see his parents around anywhere. Can you help him?" Jasper asked as the three of us gazed up, wide-eyed, at my father.

Charlie's brow furrowed as he gently took the gray fluff ball from Jasper and looked it over thoroughly.

Then we all watched in horror as the baby swan took a few small breaths, shuddered, and finally went still.

My jaw dropped open and tears welled in my eyes. "I-Is he…?"

Charlie looked down and nodded. "Yeah, honey. He was just too weak and frail to keep going and his little heart stopped. It wasn't your fault. Heck, the others probably left him behind because he was too weak to keep up. It's just mother nature and survival of the fittest."

It took exactly thirty seconds for what my father said to sink in, and two more after that for me to burst into tears and run from the room. I made it to the porch before he caught up with me. He held me in an awkward embrace before announcing to the boys that he was taking me home. I managed to thank Billy and Jacob for having us in between sobs and hiccups before we shuffled into the car and made our way home.

Once there, I hurried up the steps to my room. Charlie wasn't very good with emotional situations, so he let me go without a word.

I didn't want to see anyone, not even Jasper. I was so afraid and so upset about what happened and how it could be applied to my life, my friend, at any moment. I didn't know how to handle mother nature's reasoning for allowing such an innocent little creature like that baby swan to suffer, and I had no idea how the universe could do the same thing to my best friend.

I wasn't old enough to understand the details about Jasper's heart condition, but I knew enough to grasp just how serious it was. He was weak. His heart was working too hard and had the potential to give out at any time. I saw how many pills he had to swallow every day, and how hard it was sometimes for him to keep up with me when doing things that we both used to think were easy.

Were his parents going to abandon him someday, too? Was his imperfection too much to ignore for them? What would he do if they left? Who would take care of him?

I gritted my teeth and steeled myself against the tears. _I_ wasn't going to abandon him. I would be the one to take care of him even with his imperfections. Jasper was my best friend, and I couldn't let something so horrific happen to him.

_Can one ten year old adopt another ten year old?_

I was contemplating the amount of paperwork involved in changing Jasper's name from Whitlock to Swan when there was a knock at my bedroom door. I glanced from the door to the window, noticing it was now dark outside. I must have been holed up in here for quite a while.

"Bella? Can I come in?" my mother asked. "I've got someone here who really wants to see you."

"Okay," I croaked. I tried to wipe the tear marks off my face with my hands and sucked in a butt load of snot back through my nose.

The door slowly opened to reveal Renee carrying a glass of water and a box of tissues, directly followed by a somber-looking Jasper.

"Here honey," she said as she handed me her offerings. I wiped my eyes and nose with the tissues and greedily gulped down the water.

"Now," she began as she and Jasper flanked me on the bed, "I understand that you had a hard day today." I nodded and she continued. "Jasper told me what happened, and I'm so sorry, baby. You know there was nothing you could've done different, right? It was just that little swan's time."

I nodded again, then took a deep breath, determined to sound firm in my decision about Jasper.

"Mom, can we adopt Jasper?"

Both she and Jasper looked at me like I was crazy, so I continued to try and plead my case, my emotions boiling over and causing me to run my sentences together in once long gulp.

"Mom, please? Jasper's heart is bad just like that dead swan, and his parents are going to leave him because he's too weak to keep up, but I don't care if he's weak, I want to keep him and I'll take care of him…"

"Gees, Bella," Jasper interrupted. "You make me sound like a stray dog."

"Honey, is that what you think? That Jasper's parents won't want him because he gets sick sometimes?" Renee asked.

I nodded quickly, and then flung my arms around my best friend. "I won't abandon you, Jasper. I won't let you die."

He hugged me but let out a chuckle. "Bella, I'm not going to die. I'm fine. See? I'm right here."

"Oh honey, Charlotte and Peter love their son very much and they would never ever give him up just because part of him isn't perfect. It's those imperfections that make us special and worth loving. Trust me, Bella, Jasper isn't going anywhere. And if for some reason his mom and dad can't take care of him, then we will," she assured me.

I let out a sigh of relief. At least my best friend would always have somewhere to go…just in case.

Jasper pulled back to look at me and gave me a bright smile. It was infectious, and I ended up giving him a slight one back.

"Here now, I got you something," he said and held a little red box in the palm of his hand.

I took it from him and carefully opened the lid. This time the petite silvery charm was a full grown swan. It was beautiful. It was what that baby swan should have had the chance to become. I bit back my tears and hugged Jasper again.

"I know it was a sad thing that happened today, but I thought you'd always want to remember that little swan in some way. You know, keep its spirit alive or something. So I asked my mom if we could go buy this for you," he explained as he hugged me back.

"Thanks, Jazz. It's perfect."

Jasper took the swan charm out of its box and carefully clasped it to my bracelet. I held up my wrist to watch it sway with the others on its new home, and immediately felt relieved. The little swan that lost its life today would always remain in my memory, it would always have a home with me, and so would my best friend.

* * *

**AN: Reviewing makes me feel warm and fuzzy all over. **


	6. Swimming with the Fishes

**AN: Hi all! Thanks so much to those of you who have reviewed! It means so much to me to know that you're out there and enjoying my words, so please take the time to leave some love.**

**This chapter is from the original one-shot, but there are a few tweaks here and there. Some happy fluff for you instead of impending angst. **

**Special thanks to Kitty_Cullen03 for her ideas and beta skills…I'd be lost without you, dear!**

* * *

_July 25, 2001_

Charm # 5 - "Swimming with the Fishes"

Five years since that very first charm and Jasper and I were still joined at the hip. We did everything and went everywhere together. He barged into my house at all hours of the day or night, and I was always welcomed into his home with open arms.

The doctor's visits and hospital tests were becoming a more regular occurrence in the last year. Jasper hated going alone, so I went with him to every appointment. I could tell he was afraid, even if he tried to hide it. To make him feel better, I asked that the nurses put me through the same tests that he had to endure. Well, every one that didn't involve a needle. I hated needles. But every time a needle pierced my best friend's skin, I was at least there to hold his hand.

Despite their son's continually changing condition, Jasper's family had religiously taken a vacation every summer, which inevitably left me and my best friend miserable for the duration of his absence. But this year would be different.

Because this year - the year we both turned eleven - I was invited.

I jumped at the chance, practically begging Renee and Charlie on my hands and knees, promising offerings of multiple household chores and good grades if they would just let me go along with my best friend and his family. After several phone calls and reassurances from the Whitlock's, they finally caved, and one week later I was in their car and on my way to Malibu, California.

I'd met Jasper's older sister Rosalie a few times, and she seemed nice enough. I didn't know much about her other than the fact that she was some kind of TV soap opera actress with a producer boyfriend named Emmett. Apparently it was his beach house we were commandeering for the week, so they were both aces in my book.

The first few days spent in Malibu were mind-blowing. Jasper and I took advantage of the private beach from dawn until dusk - boogie boarding, surfing attempts, picking seashells, and a constant celebrity watch (I swear we saw Mel Gibson in all his hairy-chested glory) were our main activities.

At sunset on the second day, we spotted a pod of dolphins just off shore. I was mesmerized by their beauty, by the way the seemed to slip so gracefully in and out of the water. Neither Jasper nor I spoke and we barely moved a muscle – toes buried in the sand at the edge of the water by the retreating waves – like we were afraid we would scare them away if we stirred too much. Our only movement was to entwine our fingers as we watched, an unconscious and familiar adjustment that our bodies seemed to do automatically. Like the two of us, the dolphins hadn't a care in the world at that moment, and we stayed there, watching and listening to them splash and play until we lost their shapes to the darkness.

One lazy and hazy afternoon, the two of us were lounging on the deck overlooking the ocean. The air was hot and sticky, and the weather man was actually calling for a thunderstorm to roll through later in the day. The waves were increasing in size, and from the look on Jasper's face, this was the most fantastic development of the day.

"Come on, Bella," he said decidedly. "Those look like killer waves out there, and we're going to surf them."

I quirked my eyebrow at him. "We are?"

"Sure. I bet it'll be easier to get up on the board because the waves are bigger," he decided.

His adolescent logic sounded good to me. So, we grabbed our boards and began paddling out into the rising swells.

After a few failed attempts, Jasper managed to ride a medium sized wave all the way into shore. He looked gloriously happy with his blond locks beaded with salt water and stuck to his face where he stood in the shallows.

Determined now – because anything Jasper could do, I could do better – I turned around to look for my big break.

My head hadn't even fully rotated around before a massive wave came out of nowhere, knocking me from my board and sweeping me under the water. When I finally made it up for air, I found myself disoriented and way too far from the beach without a board. I tried swimming back to shore, but the current was pulling me farther and farther out to sea no matter how hard I swam.

Jasper called for his mother, ditched his board and swam out after me.

"Bella! Bella, hold on, I'm coming!"

"Jazz," I coughed as the sea water was starting to seep into my lungs.

He made it out to me easily, the current helping to push him right up to me. He wrapped his lean arm around my chest and began swimming slow and steady, towing us parallel to the beach. We finally reached the sand and his frantic parents a few minutes later.

I coughed and sputtered, Jasper coughed and sputtered, but we assured them that we were alright.

"Jasper!" Charlotte was in protective mommy mode. "What were you thinking going out there with waves that big? You should have told us what you were doing. And if you're ever in this kind of situation again, you let an adult go out to rescue whoever needs help. You got that? And what about the strain on your heart? You should know better…"

"Mom, are you kidding? You should've seen Bella out there, sinking like a darn stone. I wasn't going to let her be shark bait, so I went out and got her. We're both fine, honest."

I was still sprawled out on the sand and coughing next to Peter. My continuous regurgitation of sea water didn't help Jasper's case. I was sure the beach was bigger considering how much ocean I seemed to have inhaled.

At their insistence and without my protest, I spent the rest of the day inside the house wrapped in a blanket. I decided that the ocean must only have kryptonite-like over me because Jasper was bouncing around less than an hour after my near death experience, but he willingly stayed by my side nearly the entire time. We watched old movies on AMC and made fun of the funny hairstyles on all the actors. He only left me once so he could go with his mother to pick up the take-out she'd ordered for dinner.

When he got back, he jogged through the door and hurdled the back of the huge white couch, bouncing on his butt right beside me and thrusting a small red box into my lap. I had to giggle as I opened it.

Inside was another silver charm for my bracelet, this time in the shape of a dolphin.

"I wanted you to remember the good stuff about this trip, not all the bad stuff, like you almost drowning. And those dolphins yesterday were pretty cool," he explained, his voice squeaking a little from his prepubescent vocal chords.

"Thank you, Jazz! Those dolphins were really awesome, weren't they?"

"Yeah," he said as he threaded his hand in mine. "Just don't go almost dying on me again. I'd be really bored and sad if you weren't here."

His words struck a familiar chord as I remembered the little swan and the image of him that day on the soccer field, both of them pale and gaunt. I squeezed his hand to reassure us both.

"Me too, Jazz. Me, too."

* * *

**AN: Please make my pathetic little day and review!**

**Here are some rec's for those of you who might be interested. If you haven't been reading these, please remove the rock, crawl out from the hole and get crackin'! You can find these on my faves list:**

**For tear-inducing times (from utter hilarity to major angst) and some Jasper/Bella love, read: "The Last Mile" by catonspeed http://www (.) fanfiction (.) net/s/5419318/1/**

**For the best use of POV's I've EVER read (including a Volvo POV!!) and some fabulous crackfic, (was an entry in The Most Shitteous Craptastic Cuddlecock Crack Contest 2009) read: "I Wanna Eff You Like a Masochistic Lion Because of Your Pools of Brown Diarrhea Eyes: The Worst Story Ever Told" by** **Feisty Y. Beden, Philadelphic and NelsonSmandela. http://www (.) fanfiction (.) net/s/5623917/1/**


End file.
